Closing the Innovation Gap

A number of InOneWeekenders along with a sizable group of regional entrepreneurs gathered at Via Vite Saturday for lunch to discuss Judy Estrin's book, Closing The Innovation Gap. Great discussion. I'm looking forward to digging into the book. Rather than rehash a number of ideas again, you can read my synopsis of Estrin's thoughts here.

I did want to bring up a couple of important ideas that Estrin surfaced during the course of our discussion. Innovation comes from teams much more than from individuals. To that end, someone asked how important diversity is to innovation. The generally accepted answer is "very," and Estrin agreed. She put a spin on the response, though, and added, "not for the reasons you would think."

Diversity is important, but that diversity is particular. In particular, cognitive diversity is important to innovation. Bringing together broad perspectives and experiences adds much more value to the innovative process. Sure, that probably means gender, racial, and ethnic diversity, but not simply because of the color of our skin. It is our collective experience that adds value.

I immediately thought back to our July weekend and could see how all of our participation in InOneWeekend brought together people that would otherwise never have met. We shared and contributed our broad experiences to a collective effort that none of us could have accomplished alone.

- Andy